Because no celebration of the Virgin Mary is complete without torches, a liter of beer and bumper cars

I think my fascination with Mary began in high school when I was a member of my church´s worship committee. One Advent, we decided that our theme song would be the Beatle´s “Let it Be.” My interest in Mary, as a celebrated Biblical female continued to grow and last year in my introduction to Christian theology class, I chose to write my elective research paper on Mary as woman, mother and intercessor in theological discourse and popular devotion. To my good fortune, at the Indigenous Mayan Theology retreat I attended about a month ago, I met a Catholic priest named Sebastián. He specializes in Mariology and recently sent me a digital copy of his book entitled María en el evangelio liberador.  I have always appreciated the Catholic emphasis on Mary and my time in Mexico is allowing me to continue exploring Mary.  
 

Last Monday, I experienced the fervor with which many Catholics here celebrate the Virgin Mother. In Mexico (and some other Latin American countries) December 12^th is Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe. According to Catholic tradition, Mary appeared in Mexico to a priest in 1531 and then left a hill covered with roses and her image imprinted on the priest´s robe. Since that year, Mexico has celebrated this appearance in a variety of ways.

On the one hand, December 12 is used as an excuse to party. For the few days leading up to the 12^th, the road leading up to the cathedral in SCLC that bears the name Guadalupe was jam-packed with food, rides, musicians and people. You could feast on chorros (fried sugary dough), ponche (a traditional hot Christmas punch), a one-liter michelada (beer mixed with lime and chile) and many other Mexican specialties. Music pumped through the streets and I elected to take a spin in the bumper cars (they took me back to my childhood and seemed much safer than the Ferris wheel which was supported by a pile of wood). At midnight on the 12^th the crowds were also treated to a fantastic fireworks display.

Perhaps more unique than these festivities was the religious devotion I also observed. Many religious devotees spent the two weeks leading up to the Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe making a pilgrimage called the antorcha. Groups of people would run a lit torch for hundreds of kilometers, switching off every km and spending the rest of the time resting in the bed of a pick-up truck. On the 12^th, I was lucky enough to lunch with Liliana´s grandmother whose home is located on the Real de Guadalupe.  After eating, we pulled chairs outside to watch group after group running the last few hundred meters to their final destination. They ran by, exhausted and grimy, but chanting in loud voices as the confetti of passers-by rained down upon them: “¡H-i-h-o está torcha ya llegó!”

In addition to being a fascinating time to observe and participate in Mexican culture, thinking about Mary has helped me get into the advent season. In the absence of my normal holiday traditions it is surreal to me that Christmas is just four days away (three in Mexico as Christmas is celebrated the evening of the 24^th ). I send my love and wishes for a very Merry Christmas to you all. And this Christmas Eve, in addition to reading The Night Before Christmas and the story of Jesus´ birth as I´ve done with my parents for the last 22 years, I´ll add the Hail Mary that I heard my devout host mom in Cuernavaca recite every night before bed:  

Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia,

el Señor es contigo;

bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres,

y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.